Hat



June 28, 1932. J. DESMOND HAT Filed May 3, 1928 IN V EN TOR. games LZ DEEMUNU flfi A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 28, 1932 JAMES J". DESMONID, OF SOUTH NOBJVIALK,CONNECTICUT HAT Application filed May 3,

The present invention relates to improvements in hats, especially stiflstraw hats of the type having a flexible head conforming portion betweenthe crown and the brim,

5 whereby the hat will readily conform to and comfortably fit the headof the wearer, with out the necessity for the retailer conforming thesame.

An object of the invention is to provide a hat in which the flexibleportion is formed of a novel type of very wide straw braid of such widththat a single winding in the brim and another winding in the crownconstitute the flexible area, this braid defining the flexible area, butbeing of an appearance corresponding in general appearance to the braidmak ing up the remainder of the hat, so that a harmonious substantivelyuniform appearance is presented. One objection to straw hat-s havingflexible head conforming portions has been the tendency of the braid togape open along the exposed or finished edges. This objection isobviated in the present hat, as there are no exposed edges in theflexible portion, the single winding of braid in the brim having itsedge extended into the stifi portion. In one embodiment it is proposedto provide an additional concealing winding of braid having double rightedges,

" and overlying the edge of the flexible wind- With the above and otherobjects in view, embodiments of the invention are shown in theaccompanying drawing, and these embodiments will be hereinafter morefully described with reference thereto, and the invention will befinally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a straw hat, according to the presentembodiment of the invention, a portion of the band being broken away;

2 is a diagrammative sectional view of a portion of the crown and thebrim; according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified embodiment;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper side of a piece of straw braid asemployed in the 1928. semi No. 274,850.

flexible area of the hat according to the pres ent embodiment of myinvention;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the under side;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a piece of straw braid as used in the stiflcrown and brim portions of the present embodiment;

Fig. 7 is a similar view of a type of straw braid employed in theembodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to conceal the edge of the flexiblebraid in the brim;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, showing the ends ofthe flexible area braid out for splicing;

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the same spliced.

Referring to the drawing, the straw hat, according to the presentembodiment of the invention, comprises .a crown 10, and a doublethickness brim consisting of an upper layer 11 and a lower layer 12,separately formed and secured together at the rim in the usual manner.The crown is formed of any of the usual types of straw braid 13, asshown, for instance in Fig. 7, to a point in spaced relation to thebrim, the same being sewed with machine stitching 14 preferably of theusual invisible single thread type. At this point the flexible area isstarted and for this purpose I employ a novel form of very widestrawbraid 15 of such width that one winding is provided in the crown,and one wind- .ing in the brim,these two windings alone constituting theflexible area. These windings are not continuous spiral windings such asusually employed in the manufacture of 'straw hats, but are each acomplete band or hoople, stitched at the edge to the adjacent winding,the ends of the length of braid making up the winding being overlappedand spliced, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. For this purpose the braid isnotched diagonally as at 18 and 19, these notches following the diagonalweave, so that when spliced they are practically concealed in the weave.The spliced ends are preferably secured by hand stitching, concealed atthe exposed side. The novel braid 15 will preferably have seven or moreends depending on the gauge of the straw employed. The weave of thisbraid 15 is such that it closely resembles in appearance a number ofwindings of the braid 13, and harmonizes with the rest of the hat. Thebrim is completed to the edge with the spirally wound overlapped braid13. The under layer of the brim is made up of two windings of braid 15,one in the crown and one in the brim, and the braid 13 extending to theedge. The splicing points of the windings 15 of the under layer beingpreferably at the opposite side of the hat from the splicing points ofthe upper layer. s

In order to more clearly define the flexible area, and prevent anypossibility of gaping of the edge of the braid 14 .an overlying windingof braid 16, (Fig. 6) having both edges finished, to correspond to thefinished or right exposed edge of the braid 13, isstitched on top of theedge of the braid 15. This winding of braid 16 is also a band or hoople,spliced in a similar manner to the splicing of the braid 15.

At the under or unfinished side the braid 15 has long ends 17, and inorder to secure'these in the finished hat, a series of rows of machinestitching 20 of the well known invisible type is preferably stitched inthis braid before it is assembled in the hat.

The hat is finished by sizing and pressing, the sizing being eithereliminated or reduced in the braid 15 or the same may be treated, aswith monopole oil, to render it impervious to the sizing.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 8 the overlying winding of braid 16 isomitted, the edge of the braid 15 being preferably sized and pressedwith the braid 13, so as to prevent gaping.

The flexible area made up of the single winding of braid in the brim andthe single winding of braid in the crown, is such that it compensatesfor variations in head-shapes and absorbs such change of shape withinitself, without any tendency to distort or strain the stiif brimportion. It will be understood that if desired the flexible area may bemade up of the single winding of the novel wide braid in the brim andone or more windings of ordinary braid in the crown.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodimentsof my invention, but it will be obvious that changes may be madetherein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In a straw hat, a crown, a brim comprising arelatively stiff brim section of relatively narrow spirally woundoverlapped straw braid, exposed at'the upper side, and a flexible brimsection intermediate said relatively stiff brim section and the crownand also exposed at the upper side,'said flexible brim sectioncomprising straw braid braided to a width corresponding to a pluralityof the windings of said spirally wound braid,

the hat.

2. In a straw hat, a crown, a brim comprising a relatively stifl' brimsection of relatively narrow spirally wound overlapped straw braid,exposed at the upper side, and a flexible brim section intermediate saidrelatively stiff brim section and the crown and also exposed at theupper side, said flexible brim section comprising straw braid braided to.a width corresponding to a plurality of the windings v of said spirallywound braid, transversely joined at one point in the upper surface toprovide a continuous hoople, and presenting throughout the remainder ofthe upper surface, both circumferentially and transverse- 1y of thespiral windings, a continuously unbroken braided structure, and wherebysaid section is yieldable both transversely and circumferentially, thestraw in said flexible section being disposed with its selvage edgesrunning circumferentially of the hat, and a flexible section in thecrown secured to said flexible brim section, exposed at the outer side,and comprising straw braid braided to a width corresponding to saidbraid of the flexible brim section.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield, and State ofConnecticut, this 14th day of April, 1928.

JAMES J. DESMOND.

